Carnelian
@Carnelian@lemmy.world
- Comment on PROTEIN BRO 2 days ago:
That’s not really an accurate summary of my response, nor of the prompt.
I was directly and specifically asked “why not take creatine?”, and yes, the annoying proliferation of supplement culture is one of about ten issues I listed.
And while not the fault of creatine alone, I am shocked that anyone would not take issue with it. When every influencer is shilling supplements. When you walk into a gym and they sell supplements themselves behind the counter. When a beginner hires a personal trainer and they gush about the many different supplements they need to start buying, but end up barely improving anyway because their actual training is sub par.
When a would-be beginner is repulsed by the idea of stepping under a barbell at all, because their only exposure to the gym was their gross bro-y roommate in college who monopolized the top of the fridge with his collection of huge tubs of all the different ridiculous powders everyone thinks they need.
It is far from nonsense my friend, it is a notable social harm. This is lemmy, yes, we’re likely a bit older? You’ve lived enough now to see some friends and relatives crumble with age? Resistance training is the best thing to prevent this. Normal people are repulsed by the tubs of powder. Many people are repulsed enough to purposefully avoid training. This is a terrible thing.
I wouldn’t belabor the point if its truth hadn’t confronted me so many times. I would be curious to get your actual thoughts on the matter, rather than your unsupported and rather offensive insinuation that I am the one who hasn’t thought carefully about all this.
- Comment on PROTEIN BRO 2 days ago:
Sure, if you want to know earnestly some reasons why not.
For starters, it is literally completely unnecessary.
Beyond that, it perpetuates the broader harmful falsehood that lifters need a cabinet of supplements, thereby turning many people away from the gym who are repulsed by the idea.
The above falsehood has personally annoyed me many times. I am visibly very muscular, and have had friends, family, and even strangers warn me, unprompted, about the dangers of supplements lol. I gather there was a news story about lead in protein powder that went viral, and everyone assumes I must be taking all the powders, probably because of how cavalier gym folk are about insisting everyone hop on all the powders
It has a gross sandy texture, upsets people’s stomaches (especially if they try the “creatine loading” phase which is so popularly suggested), and interferes with their sleep (if the countless anecdotes are to be believed).
It does have potential serious side effects in some populations that don’t get talked about often. People with bipolar disorder shouldn’t risk taking it, neither should people with kidney disease.
If you are healthy and ever get bloodwork done, you need to remember to explain to your doctor that you supplement creatine beforehand, otherwise they may think you have kidney disease.
Five grams per day of creatine monohydrate dissolved in a glass of water is cheap. Creatine pills are not. Creatine gummy bears are not. Creatine in preworkout (yet another constantly shilled powder) is not. The massive list of non-monohydrate creatine products are neither cheap nor effective lol. When we say “definitely everyone should hop on creatine!”, a good percentage of people will end up going down one of those paths.
And to top it all off, the beneficial effects for muscle building are dramatically overstated. People talk about it like it creates some cascading compound interest effect you can’t afford to miss out on, when in actual reality, everyone who has been around the block knows you reach the point of diminishing returns very quickly when you are consistent in the gym lol. If you put 5 hard years in without it, there isn’t a soul on earth who could pick you apart in a lineup of creatine users.
Now your response to all this may be “none of this is really that big deal!” and you know what? I agree. I frequently cite creatine as being one of the big three non-scam supplements (protein, caffeine, creatine). They have a real effect, unlike virtually all other gym products. My issue, to put it most broadly, is with the attitude we perpetuate regarding supplementation in general. That it’s so thoroughly and totally taken for granted that every single person should want to pay for and incorporate every single advantage.
That we frame it as being “an advantage” at all, as if the simple love of training is not in and of itself a great joy which transforms the lives of everyone it reaches. No no, instead, as is typical of all “worthy” pursuits, it is an investment to be capitalized upon. Faster is always better, bigger is always better. Do not allow yourself to be captivated by the scenery flying by, if for a moment it distracts you from shoveling ever more coal into the furnace of this godforsaken train everyone insists our life must become.
ahem. Well, apologies for going off the rails a bit there. That’s been stewing in me for a long time. I also don’t take protein powder lmao
- Comment on Iceland knows what's up 3 days ago:
Britain has a Vagina Museum! They’re active on Mastodon too, actually. Top tier posters, highly recommend a follow
- Comment on PROTEIN BRO 3 days ago:
train more faster
We can discuss the merits of specific supplements all day, but I find this mindset paradoxically results in worse progress for most people
- Comment on PROTEIN BRO 3 days ago:
I personally take it a step further and question whether the extra 25% is worth it at all.
Even creatine has its downsides, in that it’s a powder you have to pay for and remember to choke down every day. And in the end, all you get is the same progress you would have gotten anyway, just a bit faster.
For me, who cares if what took you 5 years could have been done in 4 if everything was “optimal”? Why are we so obsessed with “optimizing” everything, when in reality this mindset just results in 90% of people giving up?
*I should add I have no critique of someone who wants for themselves every possible advantage, or educates others about it. But presenting these things as being synonymous with the gym is a huge public disservice. It would be like aggressively trying to funnel every single person who wants to buy a car into becoming an F1 driver
- Comment on PROTEIN BRO 3 days ago:
Gym myths are my favorite. The best past is the extreme prevalence of survivorship bias, with most of the bad advice coming from people who have succeeded but are themselves mistaken about why.
i.e. Massive bro is adamant that everyone should be taking BCAAs, beginners are inclined to believe it because it looks like he knows what he’s talking about.
I think the fitness industry makes most of its money this way tbh
- Comment on Anon is chasing an old high 1 week ago:
I will take this moment to recommend Crosscode, one of the all time greats
- Comment on People complain that it's poor design that humans eat and breath through the same pipe(throat). Are there any animals which don't though? 4 weeks ago:
Dolphins are the most classic example, having the blow hole.
Insects ‘breath’ through their ‘skin’
- Comment on Attempt to motivate people to take the stairs 1 month ago:
Check out the revised Kurzgesagt script, they have pretty much the best and most up to date collection of research papers at the moment
I actually was introduced to the topic by Mike Israetel when he was reviewing Herman Pontzer’s research. So when I watched the original Kurz I was super confused because it seemed to make a different conclusion than the work they were citing. I’m glad they made the revised version
- Comment on Attempt to motivate people to take the stairs 1 month ago:
Yeah the body compensates for it to an extent.
You know how lot of people report exercise makes them feel better? Releases dopamine, relaxes them. A result is that they actually fidget less, their heart rate slows, and other energy burning processes in their body relax.
The buffer is relatively large in fact, like possibly over 200-400 calories per day depending on the person. I think of it as the body’s flywheel for keeping an energy balance.
One should keep exercising, for the numerous benefits. There also is a point where you are burning calories that need to be made up (either through eating or weight loss), ask any endurance athlete. Just not likely to hit the threshold in 20 mins on the treadmill, which is what many people do for exercise
- Comment on Lemmy.world does not load comments sometimes 1 month ago:
Oh thanks for letting me know
Yeah that is very strange, I also have the same setting ticked that way, also due to the text suggesting to keep it that way haha. Left it alone the whole time I’ve been on this account
- Comment on Lemmy.world does not load comments sometimes 1 month ago:
I’ll keep an eye on the behavior, never thought to compare it with the website (otherwise I’m also seeing it in Voyager, same as OP)
- Comment on Lemmy.world does not load comments sometimes 1 month ago:
I see this sometimes as well, I only have one user blocked and I’m pretty sure it’s not them (spam account from the big spam drama. I think LW blocked the instance, even)
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 1 month ago:
That misses the question a bit, no? Everything that is wrong to do is a personal choice. It’s not relevant to whether or not it should be done
- Comment on I hate it when that happens 2 months ago:
Yeah, come to think of it, what’s up with that one anyway?
- Comment on Hollow Knight: Silksong Dev Fuels Nintendo Switch 2 Direct Fever With a Picture of a Chocolate Cake 2 months ago:
The silksong community is one of my favorite of all time for years now. Every couple of weeks a new “theme” of insane shitposting evolves. Most fun and creative silly posting I’ve ever seen.
One common post is “_____ every day until silksong comes out”. People are doing fanart challenges, one guy posts a video of himself petting a cat every day which is very popular. The cat had to get a surgery at one point and needed a cone but was fine.
It’s not just noise. It brings people a lot of joy. There’s been several posts over the years from people basically grieving the potential loss/change of the community once the game actually drops. I’ll miss it, too
- Comment on Hollow Knight: Silksong Dev Fuels Nintendo Switch 2 Direct Fever With a Picture of a Chocolate Cake 2 months ago:
No no it’s good, this is actually better than them making a proper announcement. Community loves this shit.
Quick summary:
Dev changes name, handle, and pfp on twitter. Posts a cryptic message about keeping your eyes closed tomorrow.
Reverse image search of pfp leads to a recipe released April 2nd
Cryptic message appears to be a reference to an Imagine Dragons thing from April 2nd
“Tomorrow” was interpreted as being related to the big switch 2 reveal, launching April 2nd
The name and handle also appear to be references to things having to do with April 2nd
The community is ablaze right now. Without a hint of irony: there is more genuine belief in the game actually coming out this time than there was before the original delay was announced in 2023, back when we had an official release date
- Comment on **SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT** 2 months ago:
Slamming ctrl+P and reading the print preview works in many cases as well
- Comment on Report: Switch 2 Announcement Expected This Week 2 months ago:
Silksong launch title?
- Comment on Time to make your decesion 2 months ago:
So the salt crystal deodorants are potassium alum, which has been used for thousands of years for various things. It’s a naturally occurring rock, and people found it has mild antiseptic properties and stop small cuts from bleeding. It’s a popular aftershave for that reason, commonly available for purchase as an “alum block”.
When used as a deodorant, what’s actually happening is you’re creating a salty layer on your skin that bacteria can’t form on. (No idea how that works out in practice, I use actual deodorant lol). And indeed it is used in many actual deodorants for that exact purpose
HOWEVER, and I want to mention this not because you said anything wrong but because I have found it to be a source of confusion for many people, it is not the same as the aluminum salts used in antiperspirants. Namely aluminum zirconium and aluminum chlorohydrate. Different chemicals. They function by blocking your pores so the sweat doesn’t release in the first place.
Many people are concerned, whether or not the concerns are founded, that the antiperspirant aluminums are mired in health risks such as cancer. The alum blocks are not wrapped up in that in any way, other than the fact that they are also used in (and used alone as) deodorant. It’s an interesting little piece of nuance that doesn’t come up much due to the relative non-popularity of the alum blocks
- Comment on Treat taking a dump like a sport 2 months ago:
Everybody starts their fitness journey from a different point
- Comment on It's Mr. Neutron now 2 months ago:
Derek is a pretty awful person, as a heads up.
Spoilers for nsfw just in case
Tap for spoiler
But yeah apart from his ridiculous manosphere misinformation in general (such as telling his audience masturbation causes penal atrophy), he recently read through some laughably, obviously fake Imane Khelif rage bait and concluded that any abuse she receives is completely justified unless she releases scans of her genitals. Is that really where we’re at, Derek? Mandatory public genital scans of any female athlete at the request of any transvestigator? Overall he’s just a pretty serious loser tbh, altho I have to admit taking down Liver King was rad
- Comment on I bought an HP Laptop with 8gb of Ram...and was suppose to be 256gb SSD. I downloaded one game and its all the way down to 80. Is there any free software to download to help? 3 months ago:
Probably just a lot of bloatware. When I’ve been in this situation in the past, I did a completely fresh install of windows. Much smaller. Linux can free up even more space.
There really isn’t anything necessary from HP, but it also depends a lot on your comfort working with the computer so ymmv. I don’t know what’s gonna happen if 3 months down the line you need to call customer support for something. If it were me, I’d be thinking “worst case scenario I can just factory reset”, especially if I had everything important backed up somewhere.
- Comment on Okami sequel - Project Teaser Trailer 3 months ago:
Christmas has come early!
- Comment on Anon's first time 3 months ago:
Kissless hugless virgin, also sometimes seen as khhv (kissless, hugless, handholdless virgin)
It’s like an incel status thing they came up with to further differentiate themselves among their peers. Implying that not only are they sexually inexperienced, but have also never been physically intimate with someone in any way
- Comment on Making peace with liking very few games? 3 months ago:
Now this is a list! Thank you, based on the few I have played here I can’t wait to check out the rest
- Comment on Making peace with liking very few games? 3 months ago:
Yea! An all time favorite, but I played it a long time ago. I wanted to keep my little list just to recent games. Irl I am very annoying about recommending OW to everyone, as well as its dlc which continued to blow me away
- Comment on Making peace with liking very few games? 3 months ago:
Lots of people have replied with similar experiences.
But personally? I’m having the time of my life currently playing tons of new games. I love trying new ones and getting surprised, and maybe falling in love with a genre I hadn’t considered before.
I feel totally contrary to what others are saying: as I’ve gotten older, I find myself enjoying games way more. My time is more valuable to me now than ever before, so I want to fill it with things that are joyful and meaningful. Often those things are art. Games to me have always been very special in the way they can deliver a powerful artistic experience.
I think they also have a special power to be blatant disgusting soulless cash grabs, to be fair. As the years go by I feel like many aspects of the industry have become particularly unpalatable. But many studios are still releasing good games, and so far I’ve continued to find joy in seeking them out.
Not too many people on this post are actually listing games. So, in no particular order, here are some games I absolutely adored that I played recently. Games from the last ~year that have touched and moved me in some way. Experiences I don’t think I’ll forget.
Sable Chicory: A colorful tale Manifold Garden Signalis OneShot The Talos Principle Night in the Woods Citizen Sleeper Webbed Rusted Moss Armored Core VI Iron Lung Slay the Princess Ghostrunner Mundaun Crosscode Eastward Animal Well Pseudoregalia Dave the Diver Nine Sols Patrick’s Parabox Cocoon Smushi Come Home
Not to imply that I expect you or anyone else to take a deep look here or to try any of these games. Just wanted to throw my perspective out there, and to show the games in concrete terms that have left an impression and continue to motivate me to keep looking and keep trying more
- Comment on Nine Sols - Console Launch Trailer 3 months ago:
Oh, the mechanics are superb. I also didn’t see it from the trailer, and originally got the game based on the art alone lol.
But the gameplay feels absurdly good. The main hook I would say is the talisman system. When you parry attacks, you build up charges of what is essentially an explosive that you can then use an another offensive option. Not only that, but it’s applied via a dash, which is a movement option (and can be used to do some cheeky sequence breaking outside of combat, if you’re into that sort of thing in these games). There’s an upgrade tree with several options for it that affect gameplay in a huge way as well.
Other than that I mean, I just like everything about the game. The story was well constructed and emotional. The characters are well designed, especially the bosses who are not just enemies but important characters in the story. The boss fights themselves as I mentioned. Music got me going. Environments are jaw dropping.
To give voice to the other commenter who bounced off the game after 4 hours, it has overwhelmingly positive reviews on steam but even among the good reviews a common complaint is that the game takes a fairly long time to spin up. There’s a lengthy linear section before you get some more freedom of exploration, and even then it never becomes the game’s strongest point. It also takes a long time to get certain essential upgrades. I think this is a good thing in terms of boss design, but can feel like somewhat of a slog if you’re experienced with metroidvanias and really just want your basic dash and double jump etc.
It’s a long game, took me around 40 hours. But I enjoyed it very much in the beginning, and continued to enjoy it more as I progressed and unlocked things. I went in with no expectations however, and was surprised as the game organically developed from “cool little project I’m supporting because I like the genre and the cat is cute”, to “possibly my favorite action game since sekiro”. I hope I’m not doing a disservice by setting expectations too high! But in the end, yes I was left feeling like it was that good
- Comment on Nine Sols - Console Launch Trailer 3 months ago:
This is purely conspiratorial but I think given the studio’s notable previous controversy, they probably excluded it because Wukong has such a prominent presence this year.
Other than that, yeah it just doesn’t make sense to me. Nine sols has better sales and reviews than other games being honored